Drum.



0.. W. THOMAS.

DRUM.

APPLICATION FILED MAB..16, 1912.

1,090,426. Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

6a lw'z? 7011200 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CALVIN W. THOMAS, 015 PEORIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LESLIE D. SHORT, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

DRUM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1'7, 1914.

Application filed March 16, 1912. Serial No. 684,358.

ful Improvements in Drums; andI do herei by declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to drums.

It consists of a novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter shown, described and claimed.

The invention relates to new structures in drums, such structures being adapted for use on bass-drums and orchestra drums having double heads and which consist of a shell and tightening rims for the said heads.

Said invention has for one of its objects the provision of separate and distinct tight ening mechanisms for each head of the drum, the parts used to adjust the mechanism all lying at one side, or the under side, of the drum.

Another object is to so place the posts or members usually attached to the shell of the drum and with which the tightening parts are connected that the strain placed thereon in tightening the heads will not tend to split the said shell along the line of said posts or members.

A further object is to dispense with the tightening keys ordinarily used and provide finger pieces fixed to each tightening member of the series.

A further object is to provide a structure in a drum which will admit of a new drum head being replaced in but a fraction of the time necessary when using the older forms of structures.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood 1 have provided the accompanying drawing in which: j t

Figure 1' is a side elevation of a drum showing the manner of attaching and using my invention. Fig. 2 shows one of the tightening devices for one of the drum heads, part being shown in section. Fig. 3 shows a portion of the face of the drum, and Fig. 1 shows another form of tightening member.

A indicates the body or shell of the drum, B B the flesh hoops or the parts upon which the heads are fastened, and G C are posts, or so that all are in cated by D, the other series by the usual rims which pass over the edges of the shell and bear against the said flesh hoopstto tighten the said heads.

Thus far the structure does not differ from that ordinarily employed in drums.

In order to make my ideas and structures well understood I shall first briefly touch upon the usual ways of attaching the head tightening devices to the drum.

It is customary in some types of drums to attach to its shell at intervals throughout its circumference, a series of posts, all

of which lie on a single line. To each post is adjustably connected a tightening memher for the heads. By thus placing these line, the tendency in tightening the said members is to split the shell along said line. This is caused by the great strain necessarily imposed upon the posts in tightening the head or heads, which strain is maintained at all times, and transferred through the posts to the shell. In my drum, however, the members or posts are placed in a zig-zag or staggered manner upon the shell as shown in Fig. 1. The said posts are in two series. One series is indi- E. The two series are spaced apart from one another and the posts of each series in line with one another but are widely separated as shown. One series made up of the posts D is spaced but a short distance from one of the heads of the drum while the other series E is spaced but a short distance from the other head. Each of the posts D is provided with a threaded extension D, Fig. 4:, to receive a tightening member consisting of a thread bar D which slidably carries a sleeve D provided with a hooked portion D to engage and overlie one of the tightening rims C for the drum head lying farthest from the post. The outer or free end of said "thread bar is provided with a finger piece D by which said bar may be adjusted as f desired.

farthest from the post E as in the other instance. Merely to illustrate the adjustability of the thread-bars within their posts 15 one of them in Fig. l is shown somewhat displaced, with the hook E removed from the rim C.

By the arrangement described and shown the rotation of the thread bars D tightens the drum head farthest from the posts D while by turning the thread bars E the opposite head or that farthest removed from the posts E will be tightened. Thus the great strain ordinarily imposed on the shell of the drum along the line in which the posts lie is entirely lacking, that is to say, instead of a tendency to divide the shell along that line, the reverse is actually the case. The pulls upon the two series of posts are in opposite directions both toward the middle of the shell. There is, therefore, a tendency to compress the zone of the shell lying between the two series of posts and there is no splitting strain along either line of either series of the posts since the pull on one series. is in the direction of the other, there being no counter-strain upon the portions of the shell A outside the two lines of posts adjacent the heads. Furthermore strain upon the shell is lacking, which shell is preferably of wood because of the quality of tone produced by it, because the pull of the hooks E is in the direction of the posts D, and the pull of the hooks D is in the direction of the posts E, placing the whole structure under compression from head to head.

In tightening the thread bars E the shoulders E bear against the posts E, the thread bar entering the member E while in tightening the thread bars D the sleeves D receive the pressure of the finger pieces D the thread .bars being adjusted in the portions D of the posts.

Many drums include thread bars of various types adjusted by means of removable keys the ends of said bars being made square to receive said keys. These square portions usually lie at opposite sides of the drum or at the heads so that in order to adjust the heads the drum must be turned end for end to adjust either. Such a structure will not admit of a quick adjustment of the heads as is often necessary in orchestra work for instance. However, when the tightening members as shown herein are provided with and carry finger pieces all of which are at the under side of the drum, even when the drum is mounted upon a stand as in orchestra use, either head may be tightened in a moment or two by turning the proper bars all of which is of a distinct and decided advantage as seen by those familiar with this class of instruments. But there is a still further advantage in the use of the devices shown. hen it is necessary to replace a drunrhead by a new one which sometimes is required to be done in a hurry, the thread bars having control of the head to be replaced are loosened sufiiciently to allow the hooked portions D or E as the case may be, to be lifted over the rim C and dropped out of the way. The hook D when loosened slips down upon the thread bar. But in lowering the hook E the thread-bar E slips through the post E. This is shown clearly in F 1 wherein one of the sleeves D has been lifted from the rim C, which it controls, and is dropped down upon its thread bar; the loosened position of one of the thread bars E being also shown. hen all of the hooks of the particular series are thus dropped the rim C can be removed together with the flesh hoop B adjacent to it and the new head substituted after which the sleeves are hooked over the rims and made tight as before. It is thus seen that either head may be renewed in a moment, all being done without the tedious removal of thread bars from the parts into which they are threaded as is usually necessary. Also, there is no likelihood of losing any of the parts which often happens in the handling of older structures. The time consumed in the removal of the thread bars and parts in the old way is considerable and one of my purposes is to provide a simple structure that will admit of all the necessary operations in the shortest possible time.

It is desirable to adjust the heads separately since the head adjacent to which are the snare cords (not shown) is usually tightened to the desired degree, the opposite head being separately tightened when and as required.

The posts D E are secured to the drum in any usual way, for example as shown in Fig. 4, wherein a screw F extends through the shell from its inner side into the post. In order to prevent the latter from turning and to keep the thread bars parallel with one another and thus present a neat appearance the bases of the posts are preferably provided with fins D which sink into the wood when the screw is tightened to draw the posts into position. By this means the post cannot become loosened and the thread-bars when loosened as in Fig. 1 cannot swing out of the position occupied in service.

Slight changes may be made in my structure such as would be considered equivalents of what is shown and described and Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A drum comprising a shell, its heads, a tightening ring for each head, a series of tensioning means for one of said heads operable from one side of the drum, and a separate and independent series of tensioning means for the other head operable from the same side of the drum as said first series of tensioning means.

2. A drum comprising a single section shell, its heads, a separate tightening ring for each head, two series of posts secured to and arranged around the drum-shell, the posts of one series arranged in staggered relation to those of the other series, means for adjusting one tightening ring connected to alternate posts and means for adjusting the other tightening ring connected to the remaining alternate posts, both adjusting means operable from the same side of the drum.

3. A drum comprising a shell, its heads, a tightening ring for each head, a separate series of tightening means for each ring provided with rods and with hooks engaging the ring, posts on said shell each forming the mounting of a tightening means, one series of tightening means having swivel engagement with its posts and threaded engagement with its hooks, and the alternate series of tightening means having threaded engagement with its posts and swivel engagement with its hooks, all of said means operable from the same side of the drum.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CALVIN W. THOMAS. Witnesses:

W. I. SLnMMoNs, L. M. THURLOW.

fiopiu of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatentl,

Washington, D. G. 

